Tips on Surviving the End of the Semester!

Throughout this week, we will be posting some tips to help make the end of the semester a little less stressful. Hope it helps!

Tip #1 Don't be a victim of lost files at the end of the semester!

It is heartbreaking when a student has something unexpected happen here in the library resulting in the loss of a critical paper or other research assignment. Sometimes all we can say is that we are sorry because the paper is a "lost cause." But there are tech solutions out there that can help minimize this risk.

Here are some solutions:

Don't open your document from ASULearn or email and begin to work on it. Be sure to save it to either:

1) Online free cloud computer spaces like Google Docs[1] or Dropbox[2]. These are free accounts and even the free versions give you lots of storage space. Dropbox also has an application that you can download to your own computer so that saving a document is as simple as saving it in the "Dropbox" folder. This will sync that document to any device used (whether at school, home, work, etc.).

2) Portable device such as a USB flash drive or burning to CD/DVD. We have both on sale at the Circulation desk if you need to purchase one.

3) Email the document to yourself.

4) Remember where you save it and DON'T save it to the Desktop unless it's REALLY temporary: If you use a library computer, be sure to note where you save the document. The best place is "My Documents" and should be the default.

We hope that these tips will help minimize your risk of losing your important work! Good luck!